Nov
25
2016
Planning, Development & Residential Tenancies Bill Amendments
The government’s housing bill is currently before the Seanad. While I welcome the robust and timely response of the government to the housing crisis, I and a number of other senators have submitted amendments to improve protections and certainty for Irish citizens in the housing and rental markets. These include amendments to:
- Strengthen the rights of those with a disability in relation to housing and ensure their specific requirements are met in the response to the broader housing crisis.
- Broaden the definition of landlord to allow for a wider array of actors in the housing sector to be subject to a landlord’s statutory requirements.
- Introduce rent certainty by tying rent increases to the Consumer Price Index. This is essential to slow the skyrocketing increases in the private rental sector.
- Strengthen Section 30 of the bill, which aims to protect tenants from eviction by property developers. The events that took place in Tyrellstown earlier this year cannot be allowed to repeat and our amendments seek to ensure it.
The housing bill, as initiated, can be viewed here.
Our amendments to the bill can be viewed here.
